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Iraq War Distracted U.S., Say Americans
- Many adults in the United States believe the coalition effort had a negative effect, according to a poll by Opinion Research Corporation released by CNN. 52 per cent of respondents believe the war in Iraq is a distraction from efforts against terrorists who want to attack targets within the United States.
The coalition effort against Saddam Hussein's regime was launched in March 2003. At least 2,612 American soldiers have died during the military operation, and more than 19,600 troops have been wounded in action.
In December 2005, Iraqi voters renewed their National Assembly. In May, Shiite United Iraqi Alliance member Nouri al-Maliki officially took over as prime minister.
On Aug. 21, U.S. president George W. Bush discussed the situation in Iraq, saying, "Presidents care about whether people support their policies. I don't mean to say, I don't care. Of course, I care. But I understand why people are discouraged about Iraq, I can understand that. We live in a world in which people hope things happen quickly, and this is a situation where things don't happen quickly, because there's a very tough group of people using tactics, mainly the killing of innocent people, to achieve their objective."
Polling Data
Which of the following statements comes closer to your view?
The war in Iraq is a distraction from the | 52% |
The war in Iraq is an essential part of the | 44% |
No opinion | 4% |
Source: Opinion Research Corporation / CNN
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,033 American adults, conducted from Aug. 18 to Aug. 20, 2006. Margin of error is 3 per cent.
